A recreation of the Statue of Liberty 10 times bigger than the original has been unveiled in the Yorkshire countryside in the form of one of the biggest maize mazes yet seen.

Farmer Tom Pearcy cut the image of the New York landmark in fields just a few miles from the centre of the city after which the American metropolis was named.

The 400m (1,300ft) long maze has been made using more than a million living maize plants and covers about 18 acres. The original statue is just more than 111ft (34m) tall.

Mr Pearcy has been creating mazes every summer for the last five years on land just off the A64, near York. He began it as a diversification project following the foot and mouth crisis.

His previous creations have included a Viking longship, the Flying Scotsman and Big Ben.

This year the farmer has moved his attraction to a new location near the Yorkshire Air Museum, at Elvington.

He said: “We have invested over £1 million in York Maze’s move to its new location and put in lots of new attractions.

“As a ‘new’ York Maze it seemed appropriate to base this year’s design on New York.

“I also wanted to mark the links between York and New York.

“The Statue of Liberty is an instantly recognisable image and makes a great maze.”

The New York Maze was officially opened by Frank Sinatra lookalike Phil Fryer who treated guests to a rendition of “New York New York”

Stephen Briganti, president and CEO of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, in New York City, said: “We are so pleased to see that the Statue of Liberty is being celebrated in such a unique way in York.

“Lady Liberty stands as a symbol for all the people in the world but it is especially gratifying to see her linking Old York with New York.”